Why Do I Love You

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Chapter II: Apparition Test Center

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"Your arm's not where it's supposed to be, Ron."

"Bullocks."

Ronald Weasley rolled his eyes exhaustedly before shutting them tightly again. His face was frowning too deeply that it started to turn pink.

"Visualize the place, and don't lose your concentration!"

"How can I Harry, if you keep breathing down my bloody neck!"

A loud POP, and Ron suddenly vanished before their eyes. Moments later, a second POP exploded in their ears and the redhead reappeared with all his limbs properly attached to his body. He looked at everyone with a proud grin. "Well, that wasn't so bad, was it?"

"You just made me lose my appetite, Ron," Ginny Weasley said, pushing her bowl of porridge away. "Try to be normal next time you come down for breakfast, alright?"

"Excellent job, son, I'm sure you'll ace the test!" Arthur Weasley said between sips of his coffee, never looking up from his Daily Prophet.

"Just don't swear much, Ronniekins, it upsets the examiner," Molly Weasley said distractedly, flipping over the last pancake and placed it on Harry's plate.

"Don't call me that, mum."

"Oy, Gin! Could we borrow Priscilla for a while?" came a yell from upstairs.

"DROP DEAD GEORGE!" Ginny shouted. "You're gonna use my doll for your stupid experiments again!"

"TWINS!" Mrs. Weasley screamed. "Get down while breakfast is still hot!"

POP!

POP!

"ACK! PRISCILLA! WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?!"

'Welcome to the Burrow,' Harry chuckled to himself as he happily ate his pancakes. Ron was confiding in his father about his mistakes in Apparating while Arthur simply nodded his head in all the right moments. Besides the noise that was coming from the Weasleys, more were coming from the busy little contraptions they had inside their house.

"Remember, Ron, you can't afford any mistakes later during the test. We only have one shot at it." Harry said seriously to his friend.

"—It's not permanent, Gin, I swear it's gonna wear off…"

"—Two or three months, I suppose, until we figure what went wrong…"

"I know that Harry, I'm just thinking about lots of things," Ron replied, shaking his head.

"—From Romania... How could you have ruined it?"

"Whatever are you talking about? We both agreed to spend summer like we used to, and worry about jobs later." Said Harry before taking a gulp from his orange juice. "Where is Hermione, by the way? She was supposed to be here five minutes ago."

"—Molly, dear, could I have another stack of pancakes?"

Ron shrugged. "Probably with Malfoy."

"So it's true then?" Fred suddenly chirped in, the peanut butter and jelly visible in his mouth. "Hermione and Malfoy. Never thought she'd end up with him."

"You know, I've always thought you had a crush on her, little brother!" George teased, ruffling his brother's red hair.

"Quit it!" Ron yelled, fixing his disheveled top. "Dad!"

"Stop hitting your brother, Fred."

"I'm not hitting him, and I'm not Fred!"

"Quit it!" Ron repeated before pushing George away. "I was a kid then, and I didn't know better."

"Ooh!" Ginny piped in. "Wait till Hermione finds out!"

"Give me a break!" said Ron. "It was Harry who—OUCH!"

"—Told him to stop dreaming," Harry cut in, ears slightly turning pink. "Right, Ron?"

His best friend could only nod his head, the pain in his left foot still unbearable.

"That poor lass," Mrs. Weasley entered the conversation as she took her place on the other side of Arthur's. "I've always treated her like my own daughter, and the thought of her heart getting broken by a Malfoy…" Mrs. Weasley's voice drifted away, her mind deciding not to think badly of her future.

"Mum, they've barely been together for a month and you're already bringing up broken hearts?" asked George.

"Hermione thinks with her mind, Mrs. Weasley, not with her heart," Harry replied without looking up from his pancakes. "If there's one thing Hermione's good at, it's making sure she doesn't fall too hard and lose her senses."

"Yeah, but love is a very powerful thing, Harry," Ginny countered, staring at his downcast face. "And Hermione's only a girl."

"Oh don't be talking about love, now!" Fred groaned, reaching across the table. "This is gonna be my fourth sandwich and I am not about to barf it all out."

"Fred, you overgrown pig!" Mrs. Weasley yelled before slapping her son's hand. "Those are for Hermione!"

"What, mum?!" Fred howled in pain, rubbing his slightly crimson hand. "It's not like she eats—"

"—like you?" George finished, pinching his twin's cheek. "Easy on the grub, mate, people can already tell the difference between us!" He said before smacking Fred's tummy. The table roared with laughter, except for Mr. Weasley who was only smiling courteously at his sons' antics.

"What's the matter, dad?" Ron said, peering into His father's Daily Prophet. "You've been staring at that page all morning!"

"What? Oh.." Mr. Weasley answered, distractedly folding the newspaper and setting it down on the table. "I'm sorry children, your old man is getting a bit screwed up here," he pointed his almost completely baldhead. "So, one more time. You already know who to get to London, right?"

"Yes, father," Ron rolled his eyes, nudging Harry in the ribs. "We're not children anymore."

"Of course," replied Mr. Weasley. "Once you are taken to the Atrium, don't forget to register your wands," he said importantly. "The Apparition office is at the sixth level."

"The test is going to be quick so if you plan to go looking for trouble afterwards," Mrs. Weasley warned them. "Do it outside the Ministry, do you understand?"

"Oh, and changing diapers in public is not allowed, by the way," Fred whispered, and his twin and sister snickered.

"Oh, come now, father," Ron replied, ignoring his siblings. "Have we ever gotten into trouble that we've never gotten out of?"

"Don't worry, Mr. Weasley," Harry smiled, pushing up his glasses. "We're older now. We can take care of ourselves."

Just then a magnificent glow came from the living room, and Harry immediately stood up from the table, followed by Ron. Harry's eyes searched for a familiar witch inside the room but only saw ashes scattered across the floor. A soft groan came from behind the couch, and suddenly he saw Hermione standing up from her fall, brushing away the ash that had stuck in her hair.

"Harry!" Hermione screamed before flinging her arms around Harry's neck, giving him an embrace to make up for the precious time they did not see each other.

For a moment, Harry felt like not moving at all, freezing time with his Hermione against him. But she was not his anymore, and he gently pulled away from her. "It's good to see you again," he said warmly.

Hermione nodded, staring into his eyes. "It is, I mean, to see you too."

"Oy!" Ron yelled, coming into the living room.

"Ron!" Hermione screamed, and jumped on her other bestfriend as well. "I've missed you guys!"

"Oh come on, Hermione, it was barely a month!" Ron laughed, smoothing out his shirt that had crumpled from Hermione's hug. "You're acting like it's been a year since we last saw each other!"

"I know, but it feels like it!" Hermione put her hands on her waist and inhaled deeply. "Oh my goodness, do I smell breakfast?" She exclaimed, making the scent of Mrs. Weasley's food lead the way. "Hullo, everyone!" They could hear Hermione's voice as she entered the Dining Table for the Redheads. "You're making pancakes? How lovely!"

Ron shook his head the moment he and Harry were alone at the living room. "She's… too…"

"Lively?" Harry helped. "Bubbly?"

"Giggly," Ron concluded, wrinkling his nose. "I mean, she might as well sing, for Merlin's sake."

Harry chuckled. "At least we know that Malfoy's making her happy."

"Yeah, I guess so," Ron shrugged, as he turned around and began to walk towards the little hallway leading to the dining room. "I gotta tell you something, I was half-expecting for Hermione to bring that boy toy of hers—"

Suddenly the room erupted into a brilliant green luminescence once again, and more ashes were thrown to the floor. The sound of a body loosing his balance, and a symphony of colorful cussing shortly followed.

Both boys turned around in wide-eyed horror as they saw Draco Malfoy rising up to his feet, looking at every inch of the Burrow in disgust.

"Ron, calm down, she's our friend, and whatever she does—"

"HERMIONE!" Ron screamed at the top of his lungs. "WHAT IN BLOODY HELL IS POWDER BOY DOING IN MY HOUSE!"

************

Nothing could be heard except the ticking of the unusual clock the Weasleys had in their home. The ruckus that dominated the breakfast table earlier that morning was replaced by an uncomfortable silence, accompanied by Ron's fingers drumming impatiently on the table.

All the Weasleys were staring intently (in a not-so-obvious manner) as the Malfoy that sat with them, carefully eating the extra muffin prepared by Ron's mum. Fred and George were busy whispering to each other while Ginny had thoughts of the different shampoos Draco might be using for his hair. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley smiled pleasantly whenever Draco looked up from his food. His paleness contrasted to the sunny image of the Burrow, and Hermione could not help but stifle a giggle at the tension that was looming above them. Harry was tight-lipped and chose not to show any emotions in his face.

"Not bad, Mrs. Weasley," Draco finally said, as if it was her duty to bake muffins for him. "It could use a little dash of Beaumont's Sweetener, but I reckon you can't afford it. Excellent job, nonetheless."

"Why thank you, Draco," Mrs. Weasley replied good-naturedly, ignoring the insult the boy must have not meant. At least she got a compliment from the Malfoy.

"So, er, Draco," Mr. Weasley sat up straight, making everyone remember he was the eldest in the room. "You're late father left quite a lot of responsibilities for you, did he not?" he asked, trying to sound important. "It seems terribly awful for a kid to go through adult affairs."

"Well, it was quite difficult, what with handling the enterprise, financial obligations and confidential matters," he raised his eyebrow at Hermione.

"Not to mention, taking care of Mrs. Malfoy and Blaise's bills at St. Mungo's," Hermione looked around the table, trying to send a message that Draco was a responsible person and wasn't into raising Death Eaters from the dead.

"Ah, yes," Molly nodded her head, almost too sympathetically.

"But rest assured, Mr. Weasley," Draco drawled, staring at Arthur squarely in the eye. "I'm no kid anymore. "

"Well." Mr. Weasley bit his lip, and smiled. "Of course."

"Oh my, look at the time," Mrs. Weasley interrupted, staring at the clock. "I think it best for you to leave now if you don't want to be late."

"That was supposed to be the plan, Mum, but His Royal Highness here chose to eat the muffins pinch by pinch," Ron glared at Malfoy as his fingers ceased to drum the table.

"I simply wanted to cherish the taste, Weas—Ron," Draco stood up and smirked at the redhead. "You're mother is a wonderful cook, no wonder you stay healthy, even under—" He looked at the drabby wallpaper that was peeling off and the not to mention the tight little space they were all in. "— certain circumstances—"

"Okay!" Hermione said, a bit too loudly as the male members (save for Mr. Weasley) and Harry stood up from their chairs. "You're right, Mrs. Weasley, I think we'd better go now," she said, before giving Draco a meaningful glare.

Harry watched as the couple shared glances, and wondered how they could understand each other without saying a word. He shook his head and briefly shut his eyes, diverting his thoughts elsewhere. He would have none of that. "Thanks for the breakfast, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley," Harry said politely when he opened his eyes, and noticed that Hermione had stared at him.

"We better get going," Harry said firmly to his friends in a manner that didn't need delay.

Ron waved goodbye to his parents and followed Harry to the fireplace. "Wish us luck, guys." Hermione smiled at them before the family followed them to the fireplace. Draco was the first to go.

"Thanks again for the scrumptious meal, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley," Draco bowed to them and nodded his head to the twins. "Take it easy, Phil and Greg."

"It's Fred and George, actually." Ginny retorted, folding her arms across her chest.

"Whatever. You too, Jane." Draco shrugged as he grabbed a handful of Floo Powder.

"The name's Ginny!" The twins yelled before Draco was engulfed in green flame, and was gone.

***************

There was a thunderstorm while they were being brought down to the Atrium. The lift vibrated everytime thunder clapped in the enchanted weather, but no words were exchanged during the whole minute of the ride. Draco had his arm around Hermione's shoulder, while Ron was busy trying to divert his attention to the numbers that were blinking above the door. Harry looked only straight ahead, his jaw clenching as different emotions hid behind his glasses.

It is a bit disturbing to think that no one had ever brought up the subject of applying for a license to Apparate, back when they were still in Hogwarts. Everyone simply had other things in mind, N.E.W.T's and of course, who could forget that spontaneous war the two houses of Gryffindor and Slytherin engaged in. But nonetheless, they were in the Ministry of Magic now, and nothing could stop them from being one step closer to adulthood. Having a license to Apparate doesn't only mean you can go anywhere you please, it symbolized becoming of age, responsibilities, independence, and most of all, freedom.

The door to the lift opened, and soon, the four of them found their way past the Fountain of Magical Brethren. They registered their wands to Eric Munch before he returned it to them, tipping off his hat to Draco.

"Have a good day, Master Malfoy!" Eric had said.

"There are three more people, in case he didn't notice," Ron fumed angrily as he walked on.

"Are you nervous about the test, Weasley?" Draco replied. "You seem to be bitching around… Or is it just that time of the month again?"

"Will you stop it already," Hermione rolled her eyes, flipping her hair out of the way. "This is so immature!"

"Oh, I forgot, you practically own the Ministry now," Ron said sarcastically. "Why did you even bother taking the test when you could have paid someone off?"

"Hmm, someone like your brother, what's his name, Percy, I presume?" Draco smirked at Ron's defeated face.

"At least you got one of the names right," the redhead muttered angrily.

"Quit it, both of you," Harry ordered as they stopped infront one of the lifts. "Your minds are already stressed. If I were you I'd shut the hell up," Hermione flinched at the sudden coldness of her friend's words. "I wouldn't want to fail the test and not have my License to Apparate."

"Geez, get a grip, Potter," Draco snickered, running a hand through his hair. "And I thought Weasley was PMS-ing."

A soft chime, and the lift opened and let the people inside. "Sixth floor please!" "Second floor!" "Third!" A moment later, Harry, Ron, Hermione and Draco stepped into a similar hallway, but not as crowded as the other floors of the ministry. The floor was polished and painted dark wood, and above, the ceiling was a gilded blue paint.

"What now?" asked Ron, looking around the unfamiliar territory.

Hermione, who had more sense of direction than the three, spoke. "We go this way."

And they walked further, passing by two or three other witches and wizards along the way. They were silent once more, and Hermione knew everyone was a bit nervous about the test, without having to hear a confession from them. She slipped her hand into Draco's and gave him a small squeeze. The young Malfoy's eyes looked down on her and gave her a reassuring smirk.

"Portkey Office…" Ron read aloud as they passed another door. "Wait a minute, I think we're here." He said as he stopped infront of the last room, with a door that says Apparition Test Center.

"Okay," Harry said, looking at everyone. "Just remember to see the place inside your minds, and don't lose your concentration, no matter what. Apparating is very dangerous, you could get lost and people might not find you."

"Wow, something to look forward to. How nice, Potter," Draco bluntly replied. "Glad you could share that with us."

"Come on, Draco, cut it out already," Hermione said wearily, slightly shoving him in the chest. "This is serious. Have you all got your test permits?"

Instantly, the boys reached for their pockets and pulled out a green test tube, where its glow ws slowing waning. "Great!" Hermione exclaimed, and took a deep breath. "Here we go," she muttered, and opened the door.

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"Oh! My ten o'clock appointment, right on time! Very impressive."

They were outside, and it was raining.

They had not stepped inside a normal room as one would have expected, but rather, the door opened to a large, green field, where the ground was soaking wet and the scent smelled like authentic rain. A table and a chair was placed at the left hand corner, but the papers and folders lying on it seemed to be dry. The Golden Trio stared in awe, while Draco was trying to cover his boredom.

"Mr. Malfoy! What a pleasure to be your examiner." A little man with an egg-shaped head greeted them, fixing his rather large bow tie. "And yours, too!" he added, smiling too much at Harry, Ron and Hermione. "My name is Mr. Wingdinger, and I shall be your examiner for the next 30 minutes of the Test. Oh, don't be shy, the room is quite spacious, don't stick too much by the wall."

Ron stared at the funny man, who didn't seem to be drenched with the rain. "Won't we get wet?" he asked stupidly.

"Oh, it's a pity you had your appointment when the Magical Maintenance chose this weather for today, but no worries," the man replied, smiling once more. "It's not real."

Draco took a step forward and stood in the middle of the field, as if the raindrops simply bounced off from his body. "Well, come on, then. Let's not waste any more time. "

One by one they followed, until every one was in a big circle as Mr. Wingdinger had instructed. Hermione could hardly see from the heavy downpour, and not being wet like any law of physics would explain just felt, weird.

"Having a rainy weather for today is to your own benefit because this will train you to the many distractions that you will encounter the moment you get your License," Mr. Wingdinger shouted through the rain. "Passing this test doesn't guarantee you will Apparate successfully everytime. Accidents do happen." Harry caught Hermione's eye and gave her a wink. Draco saw this and gritted his teeth at the "friendly" exchange.

"Now, before we begin," Mr. Wingdinger pointed his wand at them. "Accio permits." Four test tubes flew to his hand, the green glow almost gone. "Ah, I see that you've been practicing the whole week. Very good. I trust you should have no difficulties in the test then," he smiled before the test tubes vanished into thin air.

"So. Basics first." Mr. Wingdinger said excitedly and pulled a large scroll out of his shirt pocket. The test went fine the first few minutes. They were only asked to form a circle and Apparate to the position of the person to their right, again and again until they reached a full circle. Then they did it clockwise, and Mr. Wingdinger kept making a big red check on each column of his clipboard. Harry wondered if a tail sprouting from Mr. Wingdinger's behind and wagging like crazy would make any difference.

"Now, for the last test," Mr. Wingdinger declared, looking rather pleased. "I want you to Apparate back to the Atrium, right in front of the centaur at the Fountain of Magical Brethren. Do, that, and you will surely get your License… When I say go. Ready… Get set…"

Draco's eyes were already closed long before.

He let his mind relax and drift into subconsciousness, seeing nothing but darkness that concealed visions of Hermione, image of paperwork, money, and new ideas for taunting Weasley and Potter. He breathed evenly, opening up only his sense of hearing as he heard Mr. Wingdinger's instruction. '…centaur at the Fountain of Magical Brethren…'. That was two floors above them. Slowly, a reflection of the Atrium played inside Draco's mind, molding an exact replica of the statues inside his head. He could almost listen to the rush of water of the fountain as it hit the puddle of water.

'Go!' Mr. Wingdinger cried out.

'Now', Draco whispered, and all of a sudden, he felt empty.

He could still see Hermione and the rest, but instead of solid figures he could only see wavy, white creatures, amidst the darkness. Voices were everywhere, speaking at the same time, yet he did not know where they came from. He shut his eyes and concentrated on getting back to the field, but closing ones eyes did not matter where he was, for he could still see the wispy creatures around him. Draco struggled to gain control of himself but one voice was pulling him deeper into this strange world.

It was as if an invisible hand grabbed his head and turned him around to face one of the creatures, a flowing white mist replacing her long hair. "Destroy your weakness…" A voiced hissed in his ear, and the hair on the back of his neck prickled with fear and hatred. 'There's no room for weakness…' Fight as he might, he suddenly found himself bringing his fingers around the white creature's delicate, soft neck, gradually applying pressure. Anger rushed through his veins as the white figure didn't restrain, and he put more force on her neck, determined to get rid of this creature that mocked him. 'Stop it… Come back… Stop…' Another voice shouted in his ears, and it was driving him mad. He wanted to tear his brains out, but not until this creature was destroyed.

But he couldn't. In one split second, He found himself back in the Atrium, a frightened Mr. Wingdinger clutching his clipboard tightly, and Hermione, grabbing her neck, gasping desperately for air.

"Hermione, what happened to you?!" Draco ignored the sudden pain in his head and rushed towards Hermione, but Ron stepped in his way and punched Draco right across the face. The people inside the Ministry were staring at the sudden commotion.

"Aurgh!" Draco yelled, and fell to the floor. His silver locks had fallen over his eyes and he realized he was sweating heavily "What the hell's gotten into you, Weasley!"

"Stay away from Hermione, you crazy son of a bitch," Ron spat, and walked over to Harry who was helping Hermione to stand.

Draco clutched his head in pain, more voices trying to control his mind. "What the fuck did I do!?" He shouted to them as security guards from either end of the Atrium made their way to the four.

"You nearly strangled her to death, Malfoy," Harry glared into his pale gray eyes, his anger for Draco rising in magnitudes.

"I didn't do anything to her!" Draco yelled, trying to stand up. But his mind was too weak to tell his feet to balance his weight.

"Who are you kidding, Malfoy, everyone saw you," Harry spoke through his gritted teeth, his whole body shaking with rage. Both he and Ron were rubbing Hermione's back to let oxygen inside her lungs, and she was clutching to Harry as if for dear life.

"WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?"

Three security guards came panting towards them, their protruding bellies rising and falling in their belts. Mr. Wingdinger had rather lost his tongue, and found it hard to speak.

"Well… I….er, Apparate… Well done, nonetheless… Frighteningly…. Oh…"

The voices were gone just as they had come, immediately, and without warning. Although he was weak, Draco had managed to get up, and allowed himself to be lead outside the Ministry with the three guards. The trio was behind him, and for a brief moment, he met Hermione's stare, but he could not believe it.

For the warm smile she reserved for him was gone, and there was nothing but fear in her eyes.

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